April 15, Rostec in cooperation with Chinese investors is preparing to implement a "cross-border hydrogen corridor" project, involving the construction of facilities to produce hydrogen from natural gas, and a chain of fueling stations along the highways between Russia and China, the Russian state-owned corporation said in a statement.
This is the result of a memorandum between Rostec subsidiary RT-Business Development and Chinese partners. This document lays out key principles for the cooperation and a roadmap for the project; it also allows for the possibility of the parties creating a joint investment fund to scale up the project across both countries.
"The Russian-Chinese hydrogen transport corridor project is aimed at creating a high-tech hydrogen logistics industry in Russia's Far East. This will allow for the mass production of hydrogen-fueled tanker trucks with zero emissions, a large power reserve, fast refueling and excellent starting characteristics in cold weather, perfectly suited for the harsh climate and requirements of long-distance cross-border transportation in the Far East," Rostec said in the statement.
Russia's TopTech will assist in the construction of modular hydrogen production units at gas stations.
The company said, citing data from the Russian Transport Ministry, that cargo transportation by road between Russia and China had exceeded 6 million tonnes in the last two years and continued to grow. China is also actively increasing the use of hydrogen as fuel in cargo transportation - it has almost 600 functioning hydrogen fueling stations and continues to expand its hydrogen vehicle fleet, to which it added 3,700 new automobiles in the first quarter of 2026.
